Heartland rock

Heartland rock is a form of Rock music that rose to prominence in the United States during the mid-1970s. The style is best exemplified by artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Bob Seger and John Mellencamp. Bruce Springsteen is often seen as the main progenitor of the style. On his first several studio recordings, Springsteen took influence from the Folk Rock sounds of Bob Dylan, the Rhythm & Blues stylings of Sam Cooke, and the aesthetics of 1950s-60s Rock & Roll artists such as Chuck Berry. During the recording sessions of his third album, Born to Run, Springsteen took massive inspiration from the dense Brill Building sounds established by Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, defining the grandiose and bombastic sounds often associated with the genre. Other musical styles, such as Roots Rock and Garage Rock, were also fundamental to the genre's development. Altogether, heartland rock was characterized by simplistic, straightforward melodic arrangements, soaring guitar textures, lush production, and layered percussion. Some acts incorporated horns and keyboards into their instrumental palettes; as the years progressed, synthesizers became much more commonly used.